Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 217 - 215: Priceless

Outside the courtyard late at night, only a few lights remained, dim and yellow. Shadows stretched long and solitary. The north wind howled fiercely, nearly drying the foundation on Jane Jefferson’s face.

She looked at the man standing before her, whose demeanor was stern, and asked again: "You called me here suddenly just to annoy Sienna Thornton?"

"Did you think I called you to meet the parents?" The man tossed his unfinished cigarette to the ground and extinguished it with his foot, "There’s nothing more for you here, you can leave."

Jane let out a cold laugh: "Leave? You think I came here for you?"

The man turned to look at her, his voice deep as he asked: "What do you mean?"

Jane looked coldly at Thomas Reed, though her lips bore a smile of defiance.

She took her phone out of her bag, tapped a few times, and showed him a blank folder: "Tonight, I suddenly realized those videos and photos wouldn’t harm Sienna Thornton in the slightest. I overestimated your importance to her; I’ve deleted them all. She will never see those pictures and videos again. You can rest assured and continue pursuing her!"

Having said this, she smiled and returned to the inner courtyard.

Thomas was utterly stunned, watching her seductive figure leaving, hesitated for a moment like he suddenly figured something out, then rushed inside.

Inside the hall sat Old Master Forrester and several male elders. Seeing Thomas enter, Old Master Forrester said: "Your mom and the others are in your grandmother’s room."

Thomas strode to the back room and saw everyone standing in front of Grandma Forrester’s safe, including Jane.

It was only upon approaching that he learned Simon Forrester was pestering Grandma Forrester to gift a Qing-era "Eighteen Beads" to Sienna Thornton, while Bianca Fordham used the opportunity to request jewelry for Jane.

The invaluable yellow jade Eighteen Beads were already on Sienna Thornton’s wrist, while Grandma Forrester was contemplating what to choose as a meeting gift for Jane.

Seeing Thomas enter, Grandma Forrester quickly beckoned him over: "Leo, come to Grandma."

Thomas walked over, bent slightly, and Grandma Forrester whispered in his ear: "Are you truly serious with this Jane Jefferson?"

Thomas didn’t answer, shaking his head.

Grandma Forrester understood immediately, patted his arm, motioned for him to stand up, then took a gold bracelet from a large jewelry box to give to Jane as a meeting gift.

Bianca Fordham protested immediately upon seeing this: "Mom, you gave that... " but before she’d finished speaking, Thomas had pulled her outside.

Simon Forrester, having obtained the valuable gift, wrapped his arm around Sienna Thornton’s shoulders and left.

Seeing this, Jane put the gold bracelet on her wrist, thanked Grandma Forrester, and immediately chased after them, but upon reaching the inner hall, Simon Forrester and Sienna Thornton were nowhere to be seen.

She quickly threw on her coat and chased outside. In the distance, she saw Simon Forrester’s dark space gray Urus ready to leave the outer courtyard. The window was halfway down, Sienna Thornton holding the string of Eighteen Beads and facing Simon Forrester. They chatted happily and intimately.

Simon Forrester looked at Sienna Thornton with eyes full of respect, doting affection, and tenderness—a gaze only found when a man loves to the utmost.

Jane suddenly recalled her entanglement with Thomas Reed over the years but never seeing such a gaze from him.

She used to think career-oriented men didn’t have emotions like this, but that’s not true...

-

The car exited the old residence, and Simon Forrester rolled up the window.

Sienna Thornton was still engrossed in examining the Eighteen Beads on her hand, illuminating the beads with a flashlight and tampering in various ways.

Seeing her so captivated, Simon Forrester smiled and said: "This is called ’Eighteen Beads.’ It’s something Qing-era concubines wore on their clothes or played with in their hands. You can check online to see how to wear it."

"Qing era?" Sienna Thornton gasped, looking at the beads in astonishment, "Then this is an antique!"

Simon Forrester nodded, saying earnestly: "Just like that bracelet last time, these are invaluable. Keep them well, don’t lose them. They’ll be for our descendants."

"Oh dear..." Sienna cradled the beads, unsure whether to hold or put them down, "How can I accept such a precious item? What if I lose or damage it?"

"Then I’ll spank you."

"Oh, I’m scared."

She kept exclaiming all the way home, but before arriving, she’d already researched the use of the Eighteen Beads.

She hung the Eighteen Beads on the button of her coat’s chest area, letting them naturally drape down. Upon getting out of the car, she cheerfully asked Simon Forrester: "Does this look good?"

The Eighteen Beads were a string of eighteen exceptionally fine yellow jade beads, with the center decorated with several exquisite cloisonné pieces, ending in two strands each adorned with a green cat’s-eye jade. It could be a hand chain for playing or a brooch for clothing adornment.

Such an item couldn’t be merely described as beautiful; it more symbolized the wearer’s identity, status, and wealth.

Simon Forrester embraced Sienna Thornton as they entered the elevator, kissing her temple. Looking at her reflection in the elevator walls and the Eighteen Beads on her chest, he praised: "Looks great, you make the Eighteen Beads look especially vibrant."

-

At home, Sienna Thornton stored the Eighteen Beads with the previous fragrant wood inlaid gold bracelet, placing them in the watch cabinet in the closet.

Simon Forrester went to shower, while she continued packing the suitcase. While sorting, a red envelope suddenly fell out from a pile of clothes.

She picked it up and turned it over, seeing the back adorned with eight bold words — Happy New Year, My Darling!

Amused and helpless, she opened the red envelope, finding several crisp, new bills, counting exactly five hundred and twenty yuan.

"Childish!"

Though she complained, she couldn’t bring herself to throw away the red envelope, instead placing it intact into the innermost pocket of her wallet.

Inspired, she took out another red envelope and put five hundred and twenty yuan inside it, writing on the outside — May Peach Blossom Be Scared Away!

After finishing, waiting for the ink to dry, she grabbed Simon Forrester’s wallet from the table nearby, ready to place the red envelope inside, when she suddenly saw two curious photos.

One was from when they faked their marriage certificate, showing her and Simon Forrester photoshopped together; the other was a blue-background ID photo she had taken years ago. The photo pixels were low, as if screenshotted and printed from somewhere.

The two photos lay neatly side by side in the wallet’s photo slot. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

This was the first time Sienna Thornton ever rifled through Simon Forrester’s wallet, seeing him keep their photos together was warming to her heart.

"Why are you staring at my wallet?" Simon Forrester had unknowingly entered the room.

"Huh?" Sienna Thornton turned to look at him, holding his wallet, "We have photos together, why are there these fake pictures in here?"

Simon Forrester sat on a soft stool, drying his hair, and spoke blandly: "When I put the photos in, we weren’t together, and we had no photos."

Sienna Thornton gasped, ran over to hug him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck, and gave his cheek a playful kiss, pretending to scorn: "You’re really not dignified."

"Being too dignified wouldn’t win you over."...